Category: life

“Today is a day I hate myself,” a post-abortive mother revealed when telling her abortion story. Last month, The Atlantic published the online article written by an anonymous mother. The story reveals her intense regret after aborting twins.

The mother begins by describing her difficulties with her prior pregnancies. During the second pregnancy the father urged her to abort, however she refused. In the last trimester the diabetic mother became pre-eclampsic. After her baby boy was born, she began hemorrhaging. She writes that her heart stopped beating for several minutes.

After two frightening pregnancies, the author’s concerned family were against her having other children. However, over a year later she was pregnant again. Her Obgyn warned her that she might not survive if she tried to carry the baby to full term. Despite her concern, the mother told the doctor that she did not want an abortion.

The author described the moment that changed her mind regarding the proposed abortion: “Well I went home that night scared but determined—until my almost 3-year-old-daughter and 1-and-1/2-year-old son climbed into my lap for bedtime stories and my daughter said she loved me and I needed to stay. Where that came from I don’t know, as I had told no one at that time about my doctor visit. I silently cried and hugged my babies and told them momma was going nowhere.”

Despite its history of targeting the black community for abortion, Planned Parenthood has declared that it is celebrating Black History Month by recognizing “past, present, and future” leaders.

According to Planned Parenthood’s website, the abortion business is committed to “honor these Dream Keepers of the past, present, and future, who continue to stand strong in their commitment to better health care and economic outcomes for the black community.” Yet this attempt to honor the black community remains unconvincing in light of Planned Parenthood’s consistent behavior toward black women and their unborn children.

Planned Parenthood foundress Margret Sanger is well-known for her disdain for African Americans. She referred to them as “weeds” and plotted to eradicate them in her writing.

Sanger wrote of her plan to wipe out the whole population in her book Women, Morality, and Birth Control, “We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population…” Such blatant discrimination is the principle Planned Parenthood was founded on.

This targeting continues even today, as Planned Parenthood uses black women to increase its profits.

As LifeNews previously reported, one study found that 79 percent of Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are placed in low-income minority neighborhoods. The reason for this? Research shows that black women are nearly three-times as likely to have an abortion as Caucasian women. In fact, in New York City, more black babies were aborted in 2013 than were born, according to the city department of health. Planned Parenthood is purposefully making abortion accessible to African Americans, simply because this increase in abortion helps its business…

Since the legalization of Roe v. Wade, abortion advocates have used the term “woman’s reproductive rights” to promote abortion. Such terminology makes the harsh and ugly realities of abortion sound like a necessary service to women. But since the Center for Medical Progress released undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s exploitation of both women and their babies, more people are associating pro-life with pro-woman.

Surprisingly, the staunchly pro-abortion magazineCosmopolitanrecently reportedon the March for Life in article “The March for Life’s New Message: “Pro-Life Is Pro-Woman.” The author Robin Marty describes this year’s theme “Pro-Life is Pro-Woman.”

She explains how abortion harms the mother, “… the question of whether safe, legal abortion access helps or hurts women is one that has divided the nation for years, and which the anti-abortion movement grows more eager to address as it continues to oppose abortion not just because it ends a pregnancy, but as a procedure that is dangerous physically and emotionally to those who undergo it.”

Furthermore, Marty quotes several pro-life women, including the president of the March for Life Jeanne Mancini. Mancini tells Marty: “We know that a message many people hear in our country is that in order to be ‘pro-woman,’ you have to be pro-choice. I would offer that nothing could be further from the truth. I see that as rhetoric and I see that as false. Life is empowering for women. A woman’s capacity to have children is an incredible thing, not something to be ashamed of.”

Given her situation, Karen Hartman was surprised and worried upon discovering she was pregnant. She was 42 and her husband was already 56. With one son just entering his freshman year in college and the other in first grade, the couple was intending to enjoy their sudden free time. Yet, at the unexpected news of another life entering the household, Karen considered having an abortion.

Despite being an abortion advocate, Karen said she struggled with the decision. Both she and her husband had well established careers, and plenty of parenting experience. She admits that they were in a position to care for a newborn baby.

“We could do this – if we wanted to,” she explained in an article posted Fridayin The Washington Post. For them the decision rested in determining if they wanted to welcome a baby into their happy family, or not.

As is often the case, Karen’s decision was greatly influenced by her husband. He did not want another child, mainly because of his age, according to the article. He was also ready to retire, and was worried that a baby might require him to continue working.

Yet Karen said she still remained “uncertain.”After all, there were several factors that caused her to consider choosing life. Her connection with her siblings contributed to these thoughts, “I come from a family of four kids, and I adore my younger siblings.” These fond memories from her own childhood affirmed the beauty of life. She went on to say that she was “excited by the chance of having a daughter.” Yet despite these thoughts, she continued to consider abortion…

The other day my family and I did a little pumpkin carving. This was the result…

Because you can never be too pro-life 😉

Have a wonderful Halloween, and don’t forget the beauty and power of the intersession of the saints!

“At the Lord’s table we do not commemorate martyrs in the same way that we do others who rest in peace so as to pray for them, but rather that they may pray for us that we may follow in their footsteps” -St. Augustine of Hippo

The release of undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s sale of unborn baby organs has sparked a great deal of debate. After the Center for Medical Progress posted numerous such videos on YouTube, politicians have questioned whether or not the government should continue to support such a business with the annual half a billion federal dollars. The company’s president, Cecile Richards, recently testified before Congress in response to the obvious questions these videos raise. Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocates insist that the revealing films are highly edited and misrepresent their company. So is Planned Parenthood guilty of any unethical or unlawful actions?

First and foremost, let’s examine the authenticity of the videos in question. For if they are wholly inaccurate we can relax our investigation on Planned Parenthood. When the videos threw suspicion on the business, Cecile Richards insisted that they were “deceptively edited.” Research has been done to verify the validity of the videos. A forensic analysis was conducted by Coalfire Systems, Inc. which revealed that “the recorded media files contained on the flash drive indicates that the video recordings are authentic and show no evidence of manipulation.” It certainly is true that the videos have been edited, but the purpose of this was to leave out unnecessary sections, such as ordering meals and restroom breaks. The full versions of each interview are available for view on YouTube. Yet few people are willing to dedicate so much time to watch the unedited version. One such video was over five hours and forty-five minutes in length. So presenting an edited version doesn’t automatically negate its authenticity.

Now we turn to examine if and how Planned Parenthood has been breaking the law. The organization receives between $55 to $60 per body part they sell. This adds up to approximately $500 dollars per baby. According to the Medical director at Los Angeles Planned Parenthood Mary Gatter, “We didn’t have to do anything. There was compensation for this.” The videos show several abortionists haggling for more money. And in a recent open letter Cecile Richards has stated that her company will no longer receive funds for baby parts. This is rather an unusual tactic for an innocent party.

Yet in addition to their selling of infants’ organs, Planned Parenthood has been caught changing their abortion procedure in order to procure more intact body parts. The videos captured officials explaining how and why they alter the procedure. Federal HHS regulations clearly mandate that “the timing and method of abortion should not be influenced by the potential uses of fetal tissue for transplantation or medical research.” Abortionist and director of Planned Parenthood Deborah Nucatola explains that the procedure can be tweaked to procure more intact body parts, “there are little things, changes they can make in their technique to increase your success.” One video depicts a baby boy who survived the abortion. The Born Alive Protection Act safeguards the rights of any child born with a beating heart. Still this little boy was left to die and then harvested for his organs. They have also been recorded conceding to performing partial-birth abortions. This is an illegal abortion where the abortionist delivers the entire baby except for the head, which remains in the womb. He or she then snips the baby’s neck. Such actions are doubtlessly unlawful.

I encourage you to view the videos for yourself. It is truly heartbreaking to hear a former worker describe how she cut through a live baby’s skull to procure the brain, or to watch the workers pick apart the baby’s lifeless body. Most Americans know Planned Parenthood as a positive place that provides health services. Yet this business certainly isn’t the sole provider of women’s health services, across the nation there are countless pregnancy centers dedicated to helping women. Planned Parenthood is unique in that they provide a third of all abortions in the United States. The abortions they are performing and their use of the babies are both unlawful and unethical.

The issue of the legalization of abortion is one of the most significant debates of our time. The arguments are highly passionate and emotional, as women and men alike fight for what they believe to be fundamental rights. Often the issue of women’s well-being is thoughtlessly cast aside as the focus remains solely on the issue of life in the womb. The mother’s mental and physical health ought to play a substantial role in the abortion debate. Slogans are carelessly tossed about, and the statistics remain relatively unknown. Yet after careful and thorough research, it becomes abundantly evident that abortion jeopardizes the emotional and mental stability of the mother.

The main intent in this post is to evaluate the effects of abortion on women, yet we would be remiss to neglect the crucial matter of whether the fetus in the womb is a life at all. Without this evidence, there is no case against abortion. The issue of when life begins is pivotal. It is the difference between a woman having some scar tissue scrapped away, and her sanctioning the murder of her baby. Scientists have proven that life does in fact begin at the moment of conception. After a great deal of research, the US Senate agreed, “Physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being – a being that is alive and is a member of the human species. There is overwhelming agreement on this point in countless medical, biological, and scientific writings” (United States). It follows that if the fetus is indeed a living person, then any act to end his or her life is nothing less than murder. If so, then the doctor and nurses who perform the operation and the advisors who advocate it, all have the blood of a defenseless child on their hands. For a woman who has had an abortion, the realization of this knowledge has an enormously negative effect on her mental well-being.“WOMEN DESERVE CHOICES THEY CAN LIVE WITH”

Unsurprisingly, scientists have discovered a strong link between abortion and emotional trauma. For the purpose of fully understanding these words, the reader can look to the dictionary definitions for aid. Noah Webster’s defines the terms emotional and mental in his American Dictionary of the English Language, “Emotional, adj. 1. Literally, a moving of the mind or soul; hence, any agitation of mind or excitement of sensibility” and “Mental, a. Pertaining to the mind; intellectual; as mental faculties; mental operations; mental sight; mental taste” (“Mental” and “Emotional”). And finally, his definition of stability is as follows, “Stability, n. 1. Steadiness, stableness; firmness. 2. Steadiness or firmness of character; firmness of resolution or purpose; the qualities opposite to fickleness, irresolution, or inconstancy” (“Stability”). These terms will be used frequently throughout this post, as the primary side effect of abortion is that of emotional and mental instability in the woman. This is demonstrated in a study performed by Professor of Human Development, Priscilla K. Coleman. According to the study, a woman who has an abortion faces an 81% increase in her chance of developing mental health issues (Coleman). Furthermore, a study by the University of Otago revealed that over 85% of the 500 women interviewed stated they had negative reactions from their abortion. These reactions included regret, grief, and guilt (Fergusson 420-426). Abortion wreaks havoc on a woman’s mental health. The weight of her decision often causes a lifetime of regret and negative psychological effects. As psychiatrist Theodore Lidz points out, “Much of what goes on in life can be blamed upon others, but the ultimate decision concerning abortion and the refusal to give that new life a chance remains with the mother. The guilt, too, is hers” (Rosen 279). The unique bond between a mother and her child is something precious. It isn’t difficult to imagine the anguish the mother feels when realizing she allowed the abortionist to end a life, especially when that life was her own child.

In order to better understand the emotional struggles abortion causes in women, there is the story of Beatrice Fedor, a woman who experienced two abortions. Both abortions resulted in years of self-loathing and emotional trauma. She chose to share her story in order to inform and encourage women. She disclosed the struggles she has dealt with because of her decision to abort, “Abortion impacts us long after we leave the clinic… women deserve choices they can live with” (Fedor). After marrying, Beatrice became pregnant a third time, and she wanted to have the baby. Yet she explained that her past continued to haunt her, as she slipped into depression. Even after the birth of her son, she felt disconnected from her new baby. In an interview, Beatrice confessed to her extreme mental anguish, “I had nightmares where I would hurt him with knives and say, ‘It’s OK, he can’t feel anything.’ Or he would drown and I couldn’t save him” (Fedor). She felt that this inability to bond with her son was a direct result of her former abortions. Sadly, thousands of women are forced to cope with similar emotional battles as they as they struggle with the reality of their decision. Consequently, abortion cannot be viewed as a safe alternative.DEFENSE OF WOMEN?

Those who advocate abortion are correct in their concern for the defense of women and their rights. Undoubtedly, the woman is also a person whose needs should be recognized. Even with the knowledge that the infant in the womb is a person, the dignity of the mother must also be respected. Contrary to popular belief, abortion threatens this safety with its numerous negative side effects. In fact, it could be argued that in order to protect a women’s safety and well-being, abortion cannot be an option. For example, according to the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, women who have had a prior abortion have an increased risk of premature births, “Large studies have reported a doubling of EPB (Early Premature Birth) risk from two prior IAs. Women who had four or more IAs experienced, on average, nine times the risk of XPB (< 28 weeks gestation, an increase of 800 percent)” (Rooney, 46). Women are told that having an abortion is taking control of her life and timing, yet most are unaware that this action often prohibits the birth of future children. Having this procedure endangers the choice of having children later. This is one of many examples of how abortion can harm the woman’s body, as well as her future life.

The abortion advocates argue that the mother’s health and mental well-being are reasons enough for condoning the procedure. Yet surveys suggest that the case of a mother’s health being the reason for an abortion is a rare one. According to research performed by Louisiana State Center for Health Statistics and the Utah Department of Health, out of a total of 122,083 abortions performed in 3 abortion clinics, only 0.22% were caused from rape and incest, 0.42% were on account of the mother’s health, and 0.20% were due to birth defects. The total of “hard cases” made up a mere 0.84% of abortions, while 99.16% were performed for “other reasons” (Annual reports). These numbers are on the higher end of the spectrum, as research confirms the astonishingly low numbers of abortions performed out of “necessity.” Using these extreme cases, abortion advocates have justified the deaths of millions of infants. Although these cases do present women and medical practitioners with a difficult decision, this in no way accounts for the other 99% of women who abort their babies. Abortion was legalized to protect women put in difficult positions, and although this small percentage of extreme cases are given a choice, now millions of otherwise healthy women are endangered mental and physically. We as a nation cannot overlook the damaging effects abortion has on women.THE NEXT STEP

Abortion is a not merely a religious issue for the right-winged fundamentalists to battle out, it is the legalization of the death of millions of babies and the emotional scarring of millions of women. This practice comes at a high price. I propose we reevaluate abortion. Since Roe v. Wade, scientific research has informed us with the effects this procedure has on women. Consequently, it is in our nation’s best interest that we reassess the abortion issue, for the sake of American women. As widely published psychologist and avid feminist Sidney Callahan stated, “The feminist cause is being betrayed by the men and women pushing for public acceptance of the principle of abortion on demand. Arguments used in urging routine abortion deny fundamental values guiding the whole women’s movement” (Callahan 47).

Alright, so first of all I would like to apologize for taking so terribly long to post something. I’ve been going through some major changes as a freshman in college and then our dog had seven precious but oh-so-crazy puppies, and consequently blogging was more or less put on the back burner. But I’m posting to let you know that I’m not going anywhere. Although with papers and essays to write (I’m currently juggling not one, but two English classes!) I may not get things out as quickly as I might like, I will definitely do my best to continually post fresh and worthwhile articles for you.

Yes, he was one of the 7 distractions. 🙂 But surely you can see how it’s so
hard to work when you have those eyes staring up at you!

With that being said…

Here is something I stumbled across in my readings a few weeks ago that struck me as worth sharing, “There’s nothing as significant as a human face. Nor as eloquent. We can never really know another person, except by our first glance at him. Because, in that first glace, we know everything. Even though we’re not always wise enough to unravel the knowledge.” This fascinating idea came from the brilliant fictional writer Any Rand’s novel The Fountainhead. I remember re-reading this paragraph, curiously pondering the words and deciding if I agreed with them or not. I paused to recall the faces of people I know. I examined their personalities, dreams, and struggles and compared them to what I see written upon their faces. And naturally the question crossed my mind, “What do people see when they look upon me?” I couldn’t help but race to the mirror to examine my countenance. While I did so, I wondered just what people see when first meeting me.

So would you say that this is true, that we are so vulnerable as to display our entire person upon our countenance? I have toyed with this question for days now, and feel no nearer to the answer than as the first moment I learned of it. But I suppose it doesn’t truly matter if we stand totally unguarded before our fellow man, or if we can mask our true selves from the world. Rather, the real question for you is that were this the case…just what would a person see written upon your countenance. Would it be joy, charity, or understanding? Or do you shiver at the thought of everyone knowing your true person? It is worth thinking about!

Today in Iraq, 2,500 Christians are trapped and dying at the hands of Muslims. Many have been surrounded on Mount Sinjar and were given till noon yesterday to convert to the Muslim faith, or else they would be slaughtered. Already there have been many be-headings, crucifixions, kidnappings, and rapes. There are claims that the women below the age of 35 are being kidnapped for sexual slavery.

The ISIS have completely burned the Syriac Catholic Diocese, including the 1,800 year old church. They have been reported as entering churches and destroying the statues of Christ and His Blessed Mother. In the place of the statue of Our Lady, their black flag was erected.

In moments like this I wonder what I can do to help. For us, I believe the answer is prayer and fasting. “And in all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 So I encourage you to join me in prayer for these persecuted Christians.

I apologize if this post seems a bit disjointed, but I wrote it in a hurry after discovering that this is going on. It is getting very little coverage from the media, and people need to know what is happening! Please send this message along to others!

Do you ever wonder what is wrong with you? I have. Particularly on occasions such as when I was looking about in a consignment shop, minding my own business. Out of nowhere, an older gentleman randomly came up to my family and exclaimed, “Wow!” (There was an awkward pause since he exclaimed this with way too much gusto and seemed to stagger backwards at the sight of my sister and myself.) “You look like the Brady Bunch or something!” Now I wasn’t wearing white boots or straight, long blonde hair so needless to say I was initially puzzled at his statement. I mean, there were only two of us there! Didn’t the Brady Bunch have six kids? I can only imagine if this fella saw the rest of my family!

I asked my dad about it later, pondering how on earth we remotely resemble the 70’s television show. His reply was, “It’s because you’re wholesome. And that’s something the world doesn’t see anymore. Everyone is used to seeing young people with their heads down, staring at a screen. It’s rare to see them looking up and engaging with others.” Sadly, this is very much the case. We have become so accustomed to seeing broken families and disgruntled kids, a happy household is a rarity.

Sometimes I feel a bit like a freak when strangers comment on how unusual we are and question us on our lifestyle. I wonder to myself, is it that obvious I’m a homeschooler? I mean, yes I know we wear skirts and educate at home. And I will admit, we aren’t the most technically advanced family in the neighborhood. And the real kicker, we’re traditional Catholics. But does that really warrant all the perplexed stares, worried comments, and constant advice? I always found it ironic that the very people who are amazed at how well-behaved and educated we are, suddenly grow concerned for our development after hearing we’re home-schooled.

So long story short, I’ve slowly grown accustom to explaining and even defending my way of life. I have come to terms with the fact that my family and myself have chosen a rather unusual lifestyle, and thus will always draw attention from others. And you know what, it’s alright to live a life set apart from the world. So if ever you feel rejected or isolated because of your values, rejoice! It means you’re doing things right! “If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefor the world hateth you.” John 15:18